Asian Games 2026: Wrestler Sunil Kumar loses semi, will fight for bronze

Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar suffered a defeat in the men's Greco-Roman 87kg semifinal but will compete for bronze. Meanwhile, the Indian women's compound archery team clinched the gold medal, and a medal was assured in women's team squash.

Indian wrestler Sunil Kumar suffered a defeat in the men's Greco-Roman 87kg semifinal at the Asian Games 2026, losing to Japan's Taizo Yoshida by technical superiority on Wednesday. Yoshida secured an 11-0 victory over Sunil Kumar to progress to the final, while the Indian wrestler's campaign remains alive as he will compete in the bronze medal bout against a repechage contender.Sunil had earlier made a strong start to his Asian Games campaign, defeating Tajikistan's Muhammad Sultonzoda by technical superiority in his opening bout. The Indian wrestler dominated the contest, winning 9-0 as his opponent failed to score a single point. Sunil will now aim to finish his campaign on the podium when he takes the mat in the bronze medal match.

Archery: Gold for women's compound team

Meanwhile, in archery, the Indian women's compound team comprising Jyothi Vennam, Chikitha Taniparthi and Prithika Pradeep defeated China 238-234 to win the gold medal. Earlier, the trio had beaten South Korea 234-233 in the semifinal.Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav also advanced to the compound mixed team final after edging Thailand 156-155 in a thrilling semifinal.

Updates from other events

Squash

In squash, the Indian women's team secured a medal after defeating Singapore 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Tanvi Khanna and Anahat Singh won their respective singles matches to help India progress.

Canoe Slalom

In canoe slalom, Pradhyumna Singh Rathod qualified for the men's kayak single final.

Cycling

Cycling saw mixed results, with Keerthy Rangaswamy Chikka advancing to the women's keirin semifinal after progressing through the repechage round, while Sarita Kumari was eliminated. In the men's sprint event, Ronaldo Singh and David Beckham finished 15th and 14th, respectively, in qualification before being eliminated in the Round of 16 repechage.

Judo

In judo, Asmita Dey defeated Vietnam's Ha Ngoc Chi by ippon in the women's 48kg Round of 16 to advance.

Sepaktakraw

In sepaktakraw, India's men's team registered a 2-0 win over Laos in the quadrant group stage, while the women's team suffered a 0-2 defeat against Vietnam in Group A.

Wrestling

In wrestling, Nisha Dahiya was knocked out in the women's freestyle 68kg Round of 16 after losing to North Korea's Pak Sol Gum.(ANI)(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)